The Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail is one of the most well known trails during the 1840 - 1860 in the U.S. during the movement to the West. The farmers and pioneers who took the Oregon Trail traveled around 2,100 miles, which consisted of making 15 to 20 miles per day and lasted around 4-5 months. This trail consisted of pioneers and farmers from Independence, Missouri, to today Portland, Oregon. Pioneers and farmers traveled through present day Kansas following the Platte River, moving to present day Nebraska still following the Platte River. They reached Wyoming and separated from the Platte River. Once they reached Idaho, they faced many difficulties due to the mountains. But during this trail, they faced many challenges on a day-to-day …show more content…
These were wooden wagons, but in order for their oxen or mules to pull them, they also had to be lightweight. The 3 main parts of the wagon are the bed, the undercarriage, and the cover. According to (“National Oregon/California Trail Center”), the bed “was a rectangular wooden box, usually 4 feet wide by 10 feet long. At its front end was a jockey box to hold tools”. This was more of like a tool box, for if anything broke along the way, they would have the tools and materials to fix their wagon. According to (“National Oregon/California Trail Center”), the undercarriage was, “composed of the wheels, axle assemblies, the reach (which connected the two axle assemblies), the hounds (which fastened the rear axle to the reach and the front axle to the wagon tongue) and the bolsters (which supported the wagon bed). Dangling from the rear axle was a bucket containing a mixture of tar and tallow to lubricate the wheels”. This was basically the axle of the wagon, and this is how the wagon was able to roll. And finally, the cover is pretty self-explanatory. The purpose of the cover is to keep the wagon tidy. During the winter, it served as somewhat of a heat shield and protection for materials, but in the summer, you were able to roll it back and allow fresh …show more content…
This was either a little camp or a little town. But one of the most important ways they knew where they were going was by the national parks and national treasures along the way. And some of the other travelers leave little hints along the way. But national parks to make sure they knew where they were going consisted of, “Blue Mound in Kansas; Courthouse and Jail Rocks, Chimney Rock, and Scotts Bluff in Nebraska; Laramie Peak, Independence Rock, Devil’s Gate, Split Rock, the Wind River Range, and Twin Buttes (near the South Pass) in Wyoming; Three Buttes (near Fort Hall) in Idaho; and Flagstaff Hill and, finally, Mount Hood in Oregon” (Hill, “Oregon Trail - the Journey”). But also along the way, travelers would leave notes such as “contaminated water” and other warning signs along the trail. These signs were on rocks, paper, trees, and sometimes even skulls. Strips of clothing were usually attached to these signs to represent their presence. Overall, the Oregon Trail was one of the hardest trails to overcome. Due to the time you leave, the amount of resources, and the direction of the trail.. The Oregon Trails legacy still lives on in the United States. It shows the spirits of pioneers during the time when they faced diseases, starvation, river crossing, and conflicts